Processing Natural Gas

Fuente: http://naturalgas.org/naturalgas/processing-ng/
Natural gas, as it is used by consumers, is much different from the natural gas that is brought
from underground up to the wellhead. Although the processing of natural gas is in many
respects less complicated than the processing and refining of crude oil, it is equally as
necessary before its use by end users.
The natural gas used by consumers is composed almost entirely of methane. However, natural
gas found at the wellhead, although still composed primarily of methane, is by no means as
pure. Raw natural gas comes from three types of wells: oil wells, gas wells, and condensate
wells. Natural gas that comes from oil wells is typically termed associated gas. This gas can
exist separate from oil in the formation (free gas), or dissolved in the crude oil (dissolved gas).
Natural gas from gas and condensate wells, in which there is little or no crude oil, is termed
nonassociated gas. Gas wells typically produce raw natural gas by itself, while condensate
wells produce free natural gas along with a semi-liquid hydrocarbon condensate. Whatever the
source of the natural gas, once separated from crude oil (if present) it commonly exists in
mixtures with other hydrocarbons; principally ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes. In
addition, raw natural gas contains water vapor, hydrogen sulfide (H
2
S), carbon dioxide, helium,
nitrogen, and other compounds. To learn about the basics of natural gas, including its
composition, click here.
Natural gas processing consists of separating all of the various hydrocarbons and fluids from
the pure natural gas, to produce what is known as pipeline quality dry natural gas. Major
transportation pipelines usually impose restrictions on the make-up of the natural gas that is
allowed into the pipeline. That means that before the natural gas can be transported it must be
purified. While the ethane, propane, butane, and pentanes must be removed from natural gas,
this does not mean that they are all waste products.
In fact, associated hydrocarbons, known as natural gas liquids (NGLs) can be very valuable
by-products of natural gas processing. NGLs include ethane, propane, butane, iso-butane, and
natural gasoline. These NGLs are sold separately and have a variety of different uses; including
enhancing oil recovery in oil wells, providing raw materials for oil refineries or petrochemical
plants, and as sources of energy.
While some of the needed processing can
be accomplished at or near the wellhead
(field processing), the complete processing
of natural gas takes place at a processing
plant, usually located in a natural gas
producing region. The extracted natural gas
is transported to these processing plants
through a network of gathering pipelines,
which are small-diameter, low pressure
pipes. A complex gathering system can
consist of thousands of miles of pipes,
interconnecting the processing plant to
upwards of 100 wells in the area. According
to the American Gas Associations Gas
Facts 2000, there was an estimated 36,100
miles of gathering system pipelines in the U.S. in 1999.
In addition to processing done at the wellhead and at centralized processing plants, some final
processing is also sometimes accomplished at straddle extraction plants. These plants are
located on major pipeline systems. Although the natural gas that arrives at these straddle
extraction plants is already of pipeline quality, in certain instances there still exist small
quantities of NGLs, which are extracted at the straddle plants.

A Natural Gas Processing Plant
Source: Duke Energy Gas Transmission Canada

The actual practice of processing natural gas to pipeline dry gas quality levels can be quite
complex, but usually involves four main processes to remove the various impurities:
Oil and Condensate Removal
Water Removal
Separation of Natural Gas Liquids
Sulfur and Carbon Dioxide Removal
Scroll down, or click on the links above to be transported to a particular section.
In addition to the four processes above, heaters and scrubbers are installed, usually at or near
the wellhead. The scrubbers serve primarily to remove sand and other large-particle impurities.
The heaters ensure that the temperature of the gas does not drop too low. With natural gas that
contains even low quantities of water, natural gas hydrates have a tendency to form when
temperatures drop. These hydrates are solid or semi-solid compounds, resembling ice like
crystals. Should these hydrates accumulate, they can impede the passage of natural gas
through valves and gathering systems. To reduce the occurrence of hydrates, small natural gas-
fired heating units are typically installed along the gathering pipe wherever it is likely that
hydrates may form.

Oil and Condensate Removal
In order to process and transport associated dissolved natural gas, it must be separated from
the oil in which it is dissolved. This separation of natural gas from oil is most often done using
equipment installed at or near the wellhead.
The actual process used to separate oil from natural gas, as well as the equipment that is used,
can vary widely. Although dry pipeline quality natural gas is virtually identical across different
geographic areas, raw natural gas from different regions may have different compositions and
separation requirements. In many instances, natural gas is dissolved in oil underground
primarily due to the pressure that the formation is under. When this natural gas and oil is
produced, it is possible that it will separate on its own, simply due to decreased pressure; much
like opening a can of soda pop allows the release of dissolved carbon dioxide. In these cases,
separation of oil and gas is relatively easy, and the two hydrocarbons are sent separate ways
for further processing. The most basic type of separator is known as a conventional separator. It
consists of a simple closed tank, where the force of gravity serves to separate the heavier
liquids like oil, and the lighter gases, like
natural gas.
In certain instances, however, specialized
equipment is necessary to separate oil and
natural gas. An example of this type of
equipment is the Low-Temperature
Separator (LTX). This is most often used for
wells producing high pressure gas along
with light crude oil or condensate. These
separators use pressure differentials to cool
the wet natural gas and separate the oil and
condensate. Wet gas enters the separator,
being cooled slightly by a heat exchanger.
The gas then travels through a high
pressure liquid knockout, which serves to
remove any liquids into a low-temperature
separator. The gas then flows into this low-temperature separator through a choke mechanism,

Gas Processing Engineers
Source: ChevronTexaco Corporation
which expands the gas as it enters the separator. This rapid expansion of the gas allows for the
lowering of the temperature in the separator. After liquid removal, the dry gas then travels back
through the heat exchanger and is warmed by the incoming wet gas. By varying the pressure of
the gas in various sections of the separator, it is possible to vary the temperature, which causes
the oil and some water to be condensed out of the wet gas stream. This basic pressure-
temperature relationship can work in reverse as well, to extract gas from a liquid oil stream.

Water Removal
In addition to separating oil and some condensate from the wet gas stream, it is necessary to
remove most of the associated water. Most of the liquid, free water associated with extracted
natural gas is removed by simple separation methods at or near the wellhead. However, the
removal of the water vapor that exists in solution in natural gas requires a more complex
treatment. This treatment consists of dehydrating the natural gas, which usually involves one of
two processes: either absorption, or adsorption.
Absorption occurs when the water vapor is taken out by a dehydrating agent. Adsorption occurs
when the water vapor is condensed and collected on the surface.
Glycol Dehydration
An example of absorption dehydration is known as Glycol Dehydration. In this process, a liquid
desiccant dehydrator serves to absorb water vapor from the gas stream. Glycol, the principal
agent in this process, has a chemical affinity for water. This means that, when in contact with a
stream of natural gas that contains water, glycol will serve to steal the water out of the gas
stream. Essentially, glycol dehydration involves using a glycol solution, usually either diethylene
glycol (DEG) or triethylene glycol (TEG), which is brought into contact with the wet gas stream
in what is called the contactor. The glycol solution will absorb water from the wet gas. Once
absorbed, the glycol particles become heavier and sink to the bottom of the contactor where
they are removed. The natural gas, having been stripped of most of its water content, is then
transported out of the dehydrator. The glycol solution, bearing all of the water stripped from the
natural gas, is put through a specialized boiler designed to vaporize only the water out of the
solution. While water has a boiling point of 212 degrees Fahrenheit, glycol does not boil until
400 degrees Fahrenheit. This boiling point differential makes it relatively easy to remove water
from the glycol solution, allowing it be reused in the dehydration process.
A new innovation in this process has been the addition of flash tank separator-condensers. As
well as absorbing water from the wet gas stream, the glycol solution occasionally carries with it
small amounts of methane and other compounds found in the wet gas. In the past, this methane
was simply vented out of the boiler. In addition to losing a portion of the natural gas that was
extracted, this venting contributes to air pollution and the greenhouse effect. In order to
decrease the amount of methane and other compounds that are lost, flash tank separator-
condensers work to remove these compounds before the glycol solution reaches the boiler.
Essentially, a flash tank separator consists of a device that reduces the pressure of the glycol
solution stream, allowing the methane and other hydrocarbons to vaporize (flash). The glycol
solution then travels to the boiler, which may also be fitted with air or water cooled condensers,
which serve to capture any remaining organic compounds that may remain in the glycol
solution. In practice, according to the Department of Energys Office of Fossil Energy, these
systems have been shown to recover 90 to 99 percent of methane that would otherwise be
flared into the atmosphere.


Sulfur and Carbon Dioxide Removal
In addition to water, oil, and NGL removal, one of the most important parts of gas processing
involves the removal of sulfur and carbon dioxide. Natural gas from some wells contains
significant amounts of sulfur and carbon dioxide. This natural gas, because of the rotten smell
provided by its sulfur content, is commonly called 'sour gas'. Sour gas is undesirable because
the sulfur compounds it contains can be extremely harmful, even lethal, to breathe. Sour gas
can also be extremely corrosive. In addition, the sulfur that exists in the natural gas stream can
be extracted and marketed on its own. In fact, according to the USGS, U.S. sulfur production
from gas processing plants accounts for about 15 percent of the total U.S. production of sulfur.
For information on the production of sulfur in the United States, visit the USGS here.
Sulfur exists in natural gas as hydrogen
sulfide (H
2
S), and the gas is usually
considered sour if the hydrogen sulfide
content exceeds 5.7 milligrams of H
2
S per
cubic meter of natural gas. The process for
removing hydrogen sulfide from sour gas is
commonly referred to as 'sweetening' the
gas.
The primary process for sweetening sour
natural gas is quite similar to the processes
of glycol dehydration and NGL absorption.
In this case, however, amine solutions are
used to remove the hydrogen sulfide. This
process is known simply as the 'amine
process', or alternatively as the Girdler process, and is used in 95 percent of U.S. gas
sweetening operations. The sour gas is run through a tower, which contains the amine solution.
This solution has an affinity for sulfur, and absorbs it much like glycol absorbing water. There
are two principle amine solutions used, monoethanolamine (MEA) and diethanolamine (DEA).
Either of these compounds, in liquid form, will absorb sulfur compounds from natural gas as it
passes through. The effluent gas is virtually free of sulfur compounds, and thus loses its sour
gas status. Like the process for NGL extraction and glycol dehydration, the amine solution used
can be regenerated (that is, the absorbed sulfur is removed), allowing it to be reused to treat
more sour gas.
Although most sour gas sweetening involves the amine absorption process, it is also possible to
use solid desiccants like iron sponges to remove the sulfide and carbon dioxide.
Sulfur can be sold and used if reduced to its elemental form. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow
powder like material, and can often be seen in large piles near gas treatment plants, as is
shown. In order to recover elemental sulfur from the gas processing plant, the sulfur containing
discharge from a gas sweetening process must be further treated. The process used to recover
sulfur is known as the Claus process, and involves using thermal and catalytic reactions to
extract the elemental sulfur from the hydrogen sulfide solution.
For more information on sulfur recovery and the Claus process, click here.

Gas Sweetening Plant
Source: Duke Energy Gas Transmission Canada
In all, the Claus process is usually able to
recover 97 percent of the sulfur that has been
removed from the natural gas stream. Since it is
such a polluting and harmful substance, further
filtering, incineration, and 'tail gas' clean up
efforts ensure that well over 98 percent of the
sulfur is recovered.
To learn more about the environmental effects of
sour gas treatment and flaring, click here.
Gas processing is an instrumental piece of the
natural gas value chain. It is instrumental in
ensuring that the natural gas intended for use is
as clean and pure as possible, making it the
clean burning and environmentally sound energy
choice. Once the natural gas has been fully
processed, and is ready to be consumed, it must
be transported from those areas that produce
natural gas, to those areas that require it.


Elemental Sulfur Production in a Gas
Treatment Plant
Source: Duke Energy Gas Transmission Canada